A tremendous finale to an already tremendous good series! As Sure as the Dawn picks up right where An Echo in the Darkness left off, with a crucial switch in point of view. Now without Hadassah (which I admit is off-putting at first), Atretes carries the weight of the story, learning that Hadassah saved his son. The book, divided into meaningful sections based on The Parable of the Sower is a search for the child, a missionary travelogue, a conversion narrative, and so much more.

Spanning late Antiquity into the Germanic migration period, Rivers writes detailed historical fiction with an unabashed Christian message. That said, it never takes a turn toward the didactic or corny. Her characters are well-developed and fully-realized, with consistent motivations and reactions that, while clearly predictable in hindsight, read very naturally. Rivers ground the work in the character of Theophilus, the actual historical personage, who is traveling from Ephesus into the wilderness of northern Europe to witness to the German tribes. He takes with him letters from Luke (the gospel, the beginning of Acts) and acts as a guide, advisor, minister, and defender for Atretes and the inimitable Rizpah. Rivers successfully uses the "little known personage" trope to ground her fiction and give it depth.

That said, Rizpah is the book's star, if not the main character. She shifts the narrative back and forth easily between her and Atretes, letting the book become a back and forth of perspective without ever becoming repetitious. Rizpah is every woman, trying desperately to balance the challenges of Christian witness, motherhood, and caring for her husband and herself. I feel a little bad about saying it, but I liked her better than Hadassah!

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in historical fiction, Christian fiction, and yes, romance.